Purpose
Purpose is that to which we aspire. It is not a goal, a goal is tangible, something that is obtainable, it has a beginning and an end. Purpose is what drives us through this life. It is the fuel for the fire that ignites everything in us. Without it we are merely existing; droning along through this world without what it truly means to be alive. A sense of purpose explodes into passion. Not only passion for life, but passion in everything we do. Purpose is not something someone can hand you, nor is it something you can convince yourself of. It is something you must find on your own, yet you don’t have to be alone during the search. Go and look at yourself in the mirror, look into your eyes. People can call you brilliant and wonderful, but only you can tell you who you really are. Even if you deceive the whole world throughout your whole life, your prize will be fruitless as you can never deceive yourself when you look at yourself in the mirror. A sense of purpose gives you the ability to surpass obstacles and go beyond what even you thought was possible.

Self Respect
Respecting yourself is key and paramount to your purpose. Without a value of self worth and respect, how can you take your purpose seriously? If purpose is the fuel, self respect is the fire. Like fire it can burn away the bad and give warmth that is essential to survival. Self respect is also the value of your own being. Not only your physical body but your mind and soul as well. But also like a fire burning out of control, it can destroy the good along with the bad. An over inflated ego or false sense of pride is not the same as self respect. It is one thing to walk with purpose and confidence. It's something entirely different to walk with your nose turned up and scoffing at those perceived to be “beneath you”. So respect yourself and have purpose, but also hold very dearly the attitude that you are still human like everyone else you will encounter, in all walks of life. For everyone is merely trying to achieve their purpose as well.

This sense of self respect will also work as your confidence in situations where you need to pull through to survive; your own perceived value will give you the mental strength you need to overcome.

Awareness
Once you have achieved internal stability through purpose and have “checked” your ego, your vision will become unclouded to the truth of things that surround you. Your own mind can act to narrow your sight. Be perceptive of all things, not just those of the physical realm, but of the mental, emotional, and spiritual realms as well. Through all obstacles in life the ability to determine what the obstacle is, is just as necessary to determine the solution. Open yourself up to all possibilities, good and bad, in any situation you find yourself in. Look at all sources of information on a subject, not just one and you will find your truth, and the path you should walk down. This is what awareness will give you, a vision for truth.

Persistence
Once you have this internal and external awareness of yourself and all that surrounds you, you will be able to persist and overcome anything this world has to offer. The ability to continue fighting against all odds and continue to wade forward is the ability to persist. To drive continually towards your purpose and stay standing is one of the most self gratifying traits one can attain. When one stops aspiring to persist, they get swept along in a harsh, unforgiving and unsympathetic current. This world can be cold and relentless to those who do not choose to fight against the storm. So under no circumstances should we ever give up or quit. Quitting is not an option. An old phrase comes to mind with persistence, “It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”

Adaptation
We must continue to grow and develop as people. To match the ever growing demands of our environment, we must live with our purpose, be assured of our selves, be aware of the changes to come, and persist to meet those changes as they arrive. With all of this comes our ability to adapt; the ability to pull through at all odds. Like violence in the world; we need to continuously adapt to meet it. Our enemies may strike hard but we will strike harder. If they pick up a knife, we will pick up a sword. We strive to be better than those who wish us harm. We will conquer all odds and persevere to survive. We are not masters of the martial arts - we are masters of the art of survival.